The French President criticises his American counterpart’s decision to withdraw the US troops from Syria. In his speech, Emmanuel Macron also paid tribute to Defense Secretary James Mattis, who announced his resigning on Thursday following Trump’s Syria decision, BBC reported.
France, a NATO ally, which always was a key part of the US-led coalition against IS in the Middle East, said its troops would remain in Syria despite Trump’s decision to leave Syria. According to Macron, such a presidential decision is not mature or timely because ‘An ally must be reliable, to coordinate with its other allies.’
Over years, the American troops have largely been stationed in the Kurdish region in northern Syria and the Pentagon said it was transitioning to the “next phase of the campaign”, without giving details. that decision made a mess in the White House because General James Mattis, Defence Secretary, preferred to resign.
Speaking on a visit to French troops in Chad, Emmanuel Macron explained what does it mean to be allies: “To be allies is to fight shoulder to shoulder. It’s the most important thing for a head of state and head of the military,” he added. In his speech in N’Djamena, the French leader also stressed the importance of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters credited with playing a major role in the virtual elimination of IS after it overran large swathes of Syria four years ago.
So far, some 2,000 US troops have helped rid much of Syria’s north-east of the radical group, but pockets of fighters remain.
